


Into the Woods We Go

by Trenchcoat_Kid



Category: Heathers (1988), Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe
Genre: F/M, Heathers AU, Heathers the musical, Red Riding Hood AU, blue riding hood, heathers jdonica, heathers jdronica, jason dean - Freeform, jdonica, jdonica au, jdronica - Freeform, jdronica au, veronica Sawyer - Freeform, wolf!jd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2017-09-12
Packaged: 2018-12-27 01:12:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12070677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trenchcoat_Kid/pseuds/Trenchcoat_Kid
Summary: While on the way to Chandler's home, Veronica Sawyer stumbles across an unsettling character in the middle of the woods - who's perhaps a little more dangerous than she thinks.





	Into the Woods We Go

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by smoke-wisp's Blue Riding Hood au! The art in this chapter was made by smoke-wisp themselves! <3  
> I'm absolutely in love with it and I just had to write something on it. Enjoy!  
> If you love this, please leave a comment! I love getting comments more than kudos, it makes me overjoyed to see feedback on my work!

Sighing softly, Veronica Sawyer made her way along the worn dirt path, marked by stones and forever imprinted into the ground below by countless other travelers before her. The young girl, only seventeen or so, had short, wavy brown hair and fair skin, with pretty blue eyes that darted this way and that to observe the serene environment around her. She wore a blue hood and cloak, the latter held together by a darker blue clasp at her chest. In the girl’s hands was a basket, filled with a fair amount of goodies, from fresh bread to sweets - the scent alone made her mouth water, but Veronica knew better than to pick through and sneak a bite; these weren’t only for her, after all. Every other week, the teen made the decision to deliver a package of appetizing goodies to her grandmother, Heather Chandler. She lived a bit far from the local village, out in the wilderness to isolate herself from the “nuisances” in the village, so Veronica did what she could to visit her - bringing her little gift in the meantime. Admittedly, her grandmother wasn’t the nicest of people, but you can’t exactly choose family, after all.

Quiet as ever, the teen took a right at a fork in the path and kept a steady pace. She’d memorized her way to Chandler’s cottage and back home, despite the fact that the trip was a two hour walk; one to get there, and one to head home. Veronica had used this same path, traveling back and forth effortlessly for a few months now - she knew it like the back of her hand.

She was a regular traveler here; while she did come across others on occasion, it was mostly quiet since she often chose to come in the evening, allowing for absolute serenity without the disruption of a rowdy passerby. Sure, the trek was pretty tiring at the end of the day, but even Veronica found herself appreciating the beauty surrounding her; the tall oak and pine trees along the path, the patches of flowers where the usual path branched off - as much as she’d always wanted to explore beyond her usual route, that was the one thing she never quite made time for.

Veronica’s cerulean gaze wandered as she walked, observing every little detail around her; from the patch of bluebells to the right of her, and the blue, pink, white, and yellow crowds of forget-me-nots to the left. As much as she did want to stop and rest - maybe even pick a few flowers to bring Chandler, she had somewhere to be. Straightening up, Veronica refocused her attention on the path ahead and nothing more as she hurried along.

The teen was pretty reckless all on her own, so straying past the usual path wasn’t something all too daring in her opinion; she’d do it anyway - if she could spare the extra time, that is. However, words of caution tended to restrict those desires as well, telling her to heed the warnings regarding a particular forest inhabitant that frightened the locals. They talked of a monstrous man with wolf-like features that had a terrible appetite for human flesh, lurking in the dark corners of the surrounding forest to seek out his next victim. Veronica did pay mind to these warnings for the first couple weeks since she began her travels, but her vigilance had admittedly slackened as of late - she hadn’t once seen this fellow. Others had spoken of him fearfully time and time again, but a tiny part of the teen wanted to believe he was just some ridiculous story to keep villagers huddled in their homes. People spoke so much of him yet she hadn’t even spotted him; granted, she didn’t walk the path every day, but still. Pushing those troubling thoughts aside, Veronica continued to make her way along the path, dark blue cloak swishing behind her.

Little did Veronica know, however - she was being followed.

Lagging a couple of feet behind but still set on her trail was a tall humanoid figure, shrouded in shadow and clothed in pitch black. The bearer of the heavy clothing - definitely a trench-coat of some sort but long enough to conceal his legs and feet - had matching short black hair, along with long black nails and piercing, dark green eyes. The sudden burst of color in those devious eyes contrasted drastically with his fair skin and the dark attire fit for a funeral. However, if his poor fashion choice didn’t stand out enough, what poked out from beneath the back of the coat and from the top of his head would’ve sealed the deal. A long, fluffy black wolf tail stuck out from his backside, swishing slowly back and forth - while a pair of fuzzy black ears stuck out from beneath his matching hair, twitching and rotating with every tiny sound that reached them. If that didn’t give it away, the jagged, pearly white teeth lining his jaws, pointed and shark-like, would’ve been enough.

The gaze of the unusual individual flickered this way and that, his beady green eyes narrowing all the while as he carefully slunk through the trees, weaving between the massive oaks and towering pines bordering the overused dirt path. He wasn’t exactly human, per say - he had some wolf in him, that alone was clear, and the instinct of the wild creature to go along with it. While he could dispel said ears and tail at will, rendering him a more human-like appearance, he couldn’t really help it when they popped out regardless. He had called the woods his home for the longest time, hiding in the dark corners and slinking about more like a snake than a wolf. The unusual fellow went by the name of JD - or at least, that was what he called himself. Jason Dean, or JD for short. A simple name, peculiar for someone inhuman like himself, but he preferred the simplicity. It made him feel human.

But the locals never quite saw him as such.

In fact, they feared him - despised him, even. After all, he did hunt them down for a filling meal. Hardly anyone tolerated murder - but Jason was simply doing what he needed to survive. Time and time again, he’d chased travelers off this very path, chased them until they had to stop and catch their breath - and only then would he end them. But on occasion, he had fun playing with his food; toying with them, mocking them, even offering false hope of escape. Granted, he could resort to hunting other animals, but what was the fun in that?  

Raising his head, Jason slipped behind a pine tree and peeked around it, beady eyes settling in the figure walking ahead on the path - one he’d seen a couple times now. It was always that girl, the same girl, who took the same path every week - the same exact route ingrained into her memory. JD had taken notice of this for the past couple of weeks, observing her carefully from the shadows of the sheltering trees whenever he came by the familiar path. He even noticed how entranced she was by the environment around her, from the huge trees to the beautiful flowers. But, it got pretty boring to just stand around and watch for too long, so Jason never quite knew what her destination was - he hadn’t followed her that far - usually another traveler caught his eye before he could, anyway. All he knew was that she took the same path, over and over again, so effortlessly.

A regular traveler...but at the end of the day, she was just another meal for him to indulge himself with. The girl had perked up his curiosity, considering how much she frequented the path, hence why he hadn’t ripped her to pieces just yet. But perhaps today would be the day, he figured; the rumble of his empty stomach practically confirmed it hardly a moment later. A toothy smirk curled at JD’s lips, tongue swiping across them in anticipation; every bone in his body urged him to have fun with this human. He hadn’t toyed with one in a while now, he’d mostly gone straight for the kill - but not this time.

Jason promptly weaved around the pine, quickening his pace through the trees as he passed Veronica; despite the heavy clothing he wore, the wolf was surprisingly quite light and quick on his feet. He managed to get a fair bit ahead of the girl, and only then did he stop to wait. As the seconds ticked by, JD figured now was as good a time as every to get rid of those blasted ears and tail - there was no use in messing with the human if he gave himself away too quickly. In a matter of moments, both his wolf ears and tail had disappeared, retracting like claws. For now, he was confident he’d be able to keep them hidden - as long as he didn’t get too ahead of himself, it’d be fine. He couldn’t do much about his teeth and nails, but he figured it’d be the least of his problems. The ears and tail would come right on back if he showed any signs of animalistic behavior, and for now, he wanted to act as “human” as possible.

Huddled behind a large oak, Jason waited patiently until Veronica came into his sights - when the girl’s back was to him.

That was when he finally stepped out from behind the trunk, his nails scratching against the bark as he pulled away.

“Greetings and salutations.”

Alarmed, Veronica spun around on her heel, glancing this way and that frantically for the source of the unfamiliar voice - only for her cerulean gaze to settle on the tall man standing nearby. She was greeted by a toothy smile from the strange fellow - one that had her blood running cold almost instantly. Shifting a bit uncomfortably where she stood, Veronica looked this creep up and down - he definitely wasn’t from the village, considering he seemed to have come from the forest. He stood just beyond the path, signaling he’d come from the shelter of the trees - that alone was enough to raise a little red flag. Biting her lip, the girl hesitated before she spoke, but took a cautionary step back in the  meantime. But…he didn't look like the one everyone warned her about in the village; they never gave much of a description besides the fellow having wolf-like features, and this man had none of that.

“...Hello.” Her tone signaled evident discomfort as she watched Jason carefully, her body tensing as he stepped onto the path with a quiet chuckle of amusement, taking lazy strides toward her and slouching a bit as he walked, making himself seem shorter than he actually was. “Come now, darling...I mean no harm.” Jason held his hands out as if in surrender, though Veronica’s eyes were immediately drawn to his long, sharp black nails.

“Though I couldn’t help but notice you back there.” The added words were a bit of a slip up on JD’s part; something told him it’d come off the wrong way, and sure enough, it did. “You were following me?” Veronica immediately spilled out the accusatory question that caused Jason to stop in his tracks in front of her, and every single cautionary instinct within her was telling her to leave, to run, even; something about this man wasn’t right. For a moment Jason looked somewhat startled as struggled to recover, offering an awkward chuckle of sorts when he spoke again, inwardly spitting vulgarities at himself all the while.

“Oh, come on - you make it sound ugly. I was just...observing you. You come down this path every other week; that blue hood stands out, can you blame me for noticing?” His words momentary eased Veronica’s nerves; in a way he was right - while it was still off putting that the guy had kept an eye on her, she was definitely a sore thumb with her hood and cloak, so she supposed she could somewhat understand. Veronica quirked a brow, watching as the unusual fellow smiled once more at her. “I guess not. Still...it’s pretty creepy. But yeah, I use this path regularly.” Veronica replied carefully, giving a nod of confirmation.

“May I ask where you intend on going, then? I’m just curious, is all.” Cooed the young man, stuffing his hands into his pockets in hopes of hiding his nails for the time being, lest they unsettle the girl. Though, his attention was rather quickly drawn to the basket she carried; his mouth watered at the striking scent of the goodies inside - fresh bread and sweets. Not his usual diet, but he was never opposed to eating other things besides...well, people. He just preferred them. Nonetheless, he found himself leaning over just slightly; one hand withdrew from his pocket, a singular, sharp-nailed finger pointing to the basket - so much for keeping them hidden, right? “By any chance, are you bringing that to someone?”

The girl’s gaze followed JD carefully, monitoring his movements as though she expected him to attack her at any moment...but he didn’t. Instead, the odd fellow just seemed curious above all. As he questioned her, she nodded once more and held the basket a little closer to her out of caution. “Yeah, I am. I’m bringing it to my grandmother.” Veronica couldn’t help but notice as the man’s eyes shone at her words, though just assumed he was relieved his curiosity had been satisfied. But goodness, was she wrong; JD was overjoyed. _This is just too good...I can bring down two birds with one stone if I’m careful._ The wolf thought to himself, holding back a smirk - the thought was pretty appealing to his aching stomach. “Your grandmother? How sweet of you…” JD cooed, pausing for a moment before he reached out to Veronica - the girl gasped and flinched a tiny bit, only to blink in surprise as he simply placed a hand on her shoulder and nothing more. “I said I wasn’t going to hurt you. You needn’t be so skittish.” He added silkily, green eyes drifting down to her for a moment; she looked as though she was ready to pull away, but she seemed to resist the urge seconds later.

“Sorry. It’s just...I usually don’t talk to strangers. I didn’t catch your name.”

“I didn’t throw it.” The wolf responded with a hint of amusement in his tone upon seeing Veronica’s questioning, and rather suspicious look directed towards him. “Oh, take it easy. I’ll tell you. I typically don’t toss my name around, but if you must know...Jason Dean. JD for short.” He informed nonchalantly, allowing his hand to creep along until his arm was wrapped lightly around the teen’s shoulder. It was true; he didn’t throw his name around, and none of the locals knew said name. They mostly referred to him as the “wolf” or the “bane of the woods” - the latter was his favorite. Besides, he didn’t mind telling this girl his name; she was going to die anyway.

Veronica was admittedly pretty uncomfortable with just how keen this guy was on touching her, but she let it slide for now; he wasn’t do any harm, anyway. The more she spoke with him, the longer she found herself easing into a sense of security - sure, he was weird, but he wasn’t hurting her. Any creep surely would’ve done it by now, considering there was no one around.

“...I suppose it’s a pleasure to meet you, then. My name’s Veronica. Veronica Sawyer.” The girl finally replied, eyeing JD as he smiled calmly down at her. “The pleasure’s all mine.” JD replied, though his smile faltered as Veronica glanced at the sky a little anxiously; it’d be dusk soon, and now that she realized it, she needed to keep moving if she wanted to make it to Chandler’s and back before it got dark. She was wasting time chatting with this guy. “Look, it was nice talking with you, but I really have to get going.” A flicker of what seemed to be annoyance flashed in JD’s eyes, but it was gone as quick as it had come, even as Veronica carefully pulled away from him, the wolf’s arm dropping to his side. “What’s your rush?”

“I have to get to my grandmother’s. I don’t want to stay out after dark. So if you’ll excuse me…”

Before Jason realized what he’d done, the wolf was back at Veronica’s side, his hand latching around her wrist, mindful of his nails - his grip wasn’t tight at all, but it was enough to startle the girl as she gasped, her eyes wide with alarm as her heart leaped in her chest. Blinking, he glanced down at her, then offered a sheepish smile. _Dammit...I got ahead of myself. Another slip-up like that and I’ll scare her off._ “Forgive me; please wait. Why don’t you hang around for a while longer…? I don’t get to see many people; living among nature does that to you. You never strayed off the path every time I saw you, so I never spoke to you until now.” A little frown crossed the young man’s expression, feigning disappointment; his sudden, seemingly genuine change in demeanor caused Veronica to frown as well in concern. A look of momentary surprise crossed her expression as he actually released her wrist, and she absently rubbed it as she watched him.

“Well, I don’t know…” Did he really just want company? If he was so isolated from people as he seemed to imply, then she supposed it made sense for him not to be aware of basic social cues, like when to avoid getting in someone’s personal space. However, it didn’t take long for JD to once more feign his emotions, seeming to perk up with a hopeful, but toothy smile as he turned back to glance at Veronica.

“I have an idea! You said you were headed to your grandmother’s, correct? I saw you looking at the flowers, earlier; I happen to know of a particularly beautiful field of them nearby, but you’ll have to go off the path with me. Perhaps you can pick some and take them to your grandmother; I’m sure she’d appreciate a basket of pretty flowers to freshen up her home, don’t you think?”   

Veronica let his words sink in, though the prospect of straying from her usual path was enough to spark her curiosity, more so than the kind gesture towards Chandler. Caution was momentarily thrown to the wind, and that alone was the poor girl’s first mistake to spark the downward spiral of many in the future. “I...I guess so. It won’t take long?” She questioned, a tiny smile actually curling at her lips; that was when JD knew he had her hooked for sure.

“Not at all, darling. We can keep eachother company in the meantime; it’s a win-win. I get a pretty face to chat with and you get to explore a bit. I’ll even escort you to your grandmother’s when you’re done. How’s that?” The silver of a compliment caused a hint of blush to blossom along Veronica’s cheeks; unfortunately for her, she was already falling right into the wolf’s trap. “Well...if it won’t take too long, then okay. Lead the way.”

“Excellent.”

Leaning over, Jason wrapped his arm gently back around Veronica’s shoulders, gesturing with his other hand toward the way he’d come from as he guided her to the edge of the path. Only then did he let his arm drop once more as he stepped over the stones that marked it, turning back around with a charming grin as he held out a sharp-nailed hand for her to grab a hold of. “This way, Veronica.” He cooed softly in encouragement; he watched as Veronica casted a timid glance around the empty path, before her gaze drifted back to JD - only then did she take his hand to make her way over the markers. However, her foot slipped as it brushed the stones, causing her to squeak in surprise and lose balance - but JD was quick to catch her in his arms when she fell against his chest, glancing down at her in evident amusement.

“It’s alright, I’ve got you.” He chuckled quietly, taking notice of the embarrassed flush of color at the girl’s cheeks as he helped her straighten back up. Once she balanced herself, she made her way after the unusual young man till she was walking beside him. As they walked, further and further away from the path and into unfamiliar territory, JD held back every urge to smirk as his gaze drifted absently to his victim - before he continued to look ahead of him, even as his mouth watered just a bit.

The growling of his stomach hardly a moment later was simply a terrible, _terrible_ reminder of the sole motive on the wolf’s mind.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it! Chapter 2 will come out as soon as I can churn it out, so stay tuned!


End file.
